One Last Look
by NightOwl904
Summary: In their last day in Germany, Ed comes across a familiar face. One that he was sure he would never see again. (Warning! If you have not finished Fma and the movie Conquer of Shamballa, you shouldn't read. This contains spoilers.) Oneshot.


"Phew! It is hot today!" I set the box I'm carrying down on the car. My body slumps against the hot metal and I wipe off the sweat dripping down my chin. It's one of those hot, sticky summer days in Germany. The sun is beating down hard on Al and me today as we load up the car with my belongings. We have decided to leave this place and move to America, see what all of the fuss is about. Al was actually the one to suggest it. He said it would be like a fresh start.

I didn't really agree with him at first, to be honest. I really liked it here in Germany. It took me a while to understand why he wanted to move away from this place, but then it hit me one day. This town has all the faces of the people we once knew. It must be harder on him to be around him since he's only been through the gate for a short while. Then I found myself starting to miss everyone back home. So I finally agreed with him, and today we are heading out for good. No turning back.

"Al, we are soooo out of here!" I exclaim as he comes through the front door, arms full of boxes. He sets them carefully onto the back, making the tires sink down another inch. The entire back seat of the vehicle is covered in boxes and we even had to strap down a few with ropes.

"Yeah, but we sure do have a lot of stuff." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Do you think they will let us take all of this on board?"

"Well sure they will! But if not," A mischievous smile spreads across my face and crack my knuckles, "We can do things our way."

"Brother! We don't need to be causing trouble again!"

"I know, I know. I'm just messing with ya." I reach over and ruffle his short hair playfully.

"Hey!" He yells and shoves my hand away.

"Bet ya miss being taller than me huh?" I call over my shoulder as I walk into the house. One box is all that's left on the empty table. It's silent in the house other than the clock ticking on the wall. Family of the other Al told me that they would pick it up after I left. My fingers slip under the box and I lift it up, putting most of the weight on my real arm. Since Winry isn't here to adjust my automail arm, I have to settle for the ones that my dad made me before he died. It's a good arm, just not as strong. Plus the heat of the day is making the joints in my hand stick.

I blow the bangs out of my face and pause in the doorway. Taking one last look around, I smile, remembering when it was just me and Al in this place. He was a great friend, and I'll sure miss him. I kick the door closed behind me and walk to the car.

"Ready to go?" He asks and I nod. Sliding into the driver's seat, I turn the keys in the ignition. The engine sputters for a moment, and I'm almost worried that it won't start. It's been like this ever since I crashed it on the way to the fair grounds. The front is still slightly dented and one of the side mirrors is missing.

"If there's one thing I won't miss, it will be this hunk of metal." I mutter to myself. Finally, it roars to life and I pull out of the driveway.

"Did you say goodbye to everyone?"

"Yeah. Yesterday I did." I reply quickly. I didn't really want to be thinking of the ones we are leaving behind. It's bad enough that I miss those back home, but the people here too? I guess I've become quite attached to them. Maybe that's why I felt the need to say farewell.

The car slows to a stop on the road, and I let a large group of people cross. They are all dressed in light layered clothes, which is smart for today. You can see the waves of heat rising off the brick street. As more people scurry across, my eyes rift over to the alleyway beside us that is between two tall buildings. You can clearly see the market on the other side that is fairly busy with people, considering that it's a Monday morning. Resting my head on my hand, I watch the pedestrians mingle with one another. I am about to look away, when I familiar face comes into view, causing a gasp to escape my lips.

Sitting up straight, I blink my eyes to make sure that what I'm seeing is real. My heart nearly stops in my chest as I watch the unmistakable blond ponytail file through the fast-drifting crowd.

"Hey Ed," Al says, poking my shoulder, "The people are done crossing. You can go now." My body acts before my mind, and in an instant my feet are slapping against the ground as I run towards the alley.

"Brother! Where are you going?" Al yells from the car. I didn't bother to answer him because I had already reached the end of the shadowed pass between the buildings. I leap over a few overturned crates and step out into the bright sunlight. Squinting my eyes, I hold up a hand to block the glare and look around. She is nowhere in sight. I crane my neck around, looking both directions until I spot the same patch of light hair moving through the sea of people.

My legs carry me down the market, pushing past bodies and ignoring the rude comments thrown at me. I feel as if I were in a slow-moving dream. The kind where you are running as fast as you can, but your legs are slow and heavy like lead. It sends me back to when I had nightmares about my brother. I would run to him as fast as I could, trying to reach him before the gate closes, leaving me on the outside of the door forever. The whole point of a nightmare is to show your worst fear, so of course I never reached the door in time. But this time will be different. I will make it to my destination.

I shove past another person, stumbling into a small clearing. I scan the place quickly, but there is no trace of blond anywhere. My heart sinks as I start to believe that it wasn't her, and I had mistaken her for some other girl. I'm panting hard from the running and my sleeves stick to my arms with sweat so I roll them up. Giving one last look around, I turn, but only to smack straight into someone. We both topple over instantly and papers that were being held in their arms fly around us before settling to the ground. I look to the poor body that I had knocked over only to find my mouth opening in shock.

"Winry?" Her name escapes my lips before I can stop it. The girl with the blond hair sits up carefully and straightens out her shirt. She looks up at me with a confused expression.

"Huh?" I open my mouth to speak again, to tell her how glad I am to see her again. Every one of my muscles screams for me to tackle her in a hug right there, but a light goes on in my mind and I snap back to reality. This isn't Winry. Well, I mean it is Winry, but not the one that I know. But everything about this girl's appearance is the same. The light blond hair, the eyes, her fair skin, it was all there in front of me. Everything down to the last eyelash.

"Did you say something?" She asks apologetically. Hearing her voice again sends my heart into a familiar frenzy.

"Er, I said I'm sorry." Getting of the ground, I extend a hand to her, which she gratefully takes. Feeling the skin of her hand is like a jolt of electricity and heat rises in my face as I hope to myself that she didn't feel me flinch. I reach back down to the papers that I knocked out of her hands and pick them up. My eyes can't help but look at the words and light sketches printed neatly on it.

"So you're a mechanic huh?"

"Hm? Oh no, my dad is." She says, taking the papers and stuffing them into the folder. "I'm just delivering his drafts for him. But to be honest, I find it all quite interesting."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Her face lights up like the sun as she smiles at me. It's almost frightening how much she looks like my Winry. "Um..Why are you staring at me like that?"

My face grows hotter than it already is. I didn't even realize that I was staring at her. It seemed so natural for me to she her face, to stare without being questioned. In a swift movement, I can almost see her eyebrows shift and start taunting me about how short I used to be. But this isn't the Winry that would know Everything about me. She's not my Winry.

"Sorry, its just that you look like someone I used to know." I sigh deeply and continue, "The resemblance is almost scary." Her eyes widen, revealing two bright blue orbs.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no!" I shake my head to reassure her. "It reminds me of my home. It kind of feels nice."

"Oh. Well I guess that's good." She blushes ever so slightly, but it's just enough to send my stomach for a flip. Her thin hand pushes some hair out o her face and she looks towards the clock above one of the stores. "I should go. My dad is probably wondering where I am."

"Will I see you again?" I ask, a little to hopefully.

"Defiantly." She grins, clutching the papers tighter as the wind begins to pick up.

"I'm Winry by the way." She holds out her hand.

"Oh I kno-" My voice cuts off as I remember which world I'm in. "I mean, I'm Edward. Ed for short." Our hands meet again as she shakes it firmly.

"It's nice to meet you Edward. I will see you around, ok?"

"Yeah." I reply and she turns and walks away, ponytail swinging behind her back. I watch her walk until she is out of sight and almost slap myself. What's with me asking if I would see her around? I knew I wouldn't probably ever see her face again if I'm moving to America! I shake my head and kick a pebble on the street. It skips over people's shoes and halts as it bumps against the gutter. I should get back to Al.

* * *

"Where have you been brother? I've been waiting here forever!" He complains as I climb into the driver seat once again.

"Calm down. No need to get cranky." I say to him, slamming the door shut.

"Where did you go?" Al asks.

"I just remembered to do something, that's all." I tell him, hoping that it's enough information for him. There's no need to tell him about Winry. It might change his mind about leaving. In fact, now I'm feeling like I need to stay.

"Ed?" He waves a hand in front of my face.

"Hm? Oh, right. Let's go!" The car starts easier this time and we rumble down the road. The wind whips my hair around as we pass the city limits, leaving us exposed to the open air. Grasses along side the car bend down to us as we fly past.

My eyes begin to cloud up with water at that moment and I'm not sure if it is the wind, or the sight of her face again. I haven't cried in a while, that I have long forgotten the feeling. I look over to the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of the city for one last time.

_See you later, Winry._


End file.
